Once again, WE NEED YOUR ATTENDANCE at a Community Meeting for Disc Golf next Wednesday, October 6th from 6:00-7:30 PM at Ruiz Branch Library, 1600 Grove St. Your support will be a critical factor in securing the parkland for a new 18-hole disc golf course at Roy G. Guerrero - Colorado River Park. Come show your face, and positively interact with the community, it's their parkland which will potentially house Austin's next disc golf course. I say potentially because we first need to disprove the stereotype that "disc golfers are nothing but white-male, college students and hippies".

If you fall under the following demographics, your presence would make the huge impression on the neighboring community members.

• Minority Disc Golfers - Let's eliminate the "race card"
• Disc Golfers that live in East Austin
• Disc Golf Families - If they play, bring your kids!
• Young and Old
• Students to Lawyers

We NEED a big turnout of (100+ disc golfers would be great). But more importantly, we must show the diversity of disc golfers. The community that surrounds the park is very diverse and proud, and they have been getting "the short end of the stick" for generations. Rightfully, they are cautious and skeptical about adding a disc golf course to their park. Especially since disc golf was not in the official Master Plan which they approved. We owe it to the community to properly introduce them to disc golf, so they can embrace the sport we all love.

Background Info:

Unfortunately the surrounding community has only been exposed to disc golf through the recent news coverage of Pease Park. Needless to say, they have an unfavorable view of the sport, viewing it as a 'west Austin sport' that destroys park land. Simply a miss-communication. As disc golfers, we know how great a sport disc golf is, and we know the benefits courses provide the local community. Most of us give back to the courses and parks we use and love, whether that's cleaning, improving, or providing a "watchful eye" for the course. We have a positive impact. And if you are reading this and you don't give back, or worse, you contribute to the problem, next Wednesday is your chance to redeem your ways.

We are hosting an educational event for the community later in October, but if we fail to gain trust within the community next week, we may lose the opportunity for disc golf in the park in any form. Please join me, come out, and show your support for disc golf.

YOUR PRESENCE at the meeting next week IS CRUCIAL!

Thank you in advance for your time.
Zac Tolbert,
Waterloo Disc Golf Club

It has been suggested that the more folks who click on it and the more people comment, the more “current” and “relevant” it will be/stay, keeping it more in view and hopefully encouraging the other media outlets to pick up on the story and run one themselves. It might also encourage KXAN to do more follow-ups.

The Austin Parks Department (PARD) is giving a presentation Tuesday evening July 26th to the Austin Parks Board (the volunteer commission that pretty much oversees everything PARD does). It is going to be a progress report on PARD’s developing a new 18-hole disc golf course at Roy G Guerrero Colorado River Park. The Parks Board isn’t going to be voting ‘yes or no’ or anything like that, but if there isn’t a lot of visible support from the community for this, then they may “suggest” that the parks department reconsider the idea and then our course likely will not happen.

We need YOU, YOUR FRIENDS, YOUR KIDS, the OLD AND THE YOUNG, and EVERYONE ELSE who supports putting an 18 Hole Disc Golf Course in Roy G. Park to COME TO THE MEETING. We want to show the Parks Board that Disc Golf is supported, played, and loved by those of all ages and diverse backgrounds. Our sport is the ultimate equal opportunity sport!

We need you and all others to fill the meeting hall with Disc Golf Supporters... and BRING YOUR DISC or MINI to wave in the air as a visual reference that you play disc golf in Austin; after all, we cannot have everyone speak, but we can have EVERYONE HOLD A DISC! This will show the PARD Board that we can support our causes and show up in great numbers; so when they look out in the audience, they can see you, your support, and your disc.

And speaking of speaking… we do not need speakers this time, so put away that fear of public speaking. We already have set up a good, short lineup of folks that will present all the necessary information.

We know that this can sound silly and unnecessary, but it isn’t . The biking community did this exact thing over the past few years and got results. Every time there was a hearing or presentation or meeting, they would have lots of supporters in the audience holding up bike helmets and stuff to provide that very visible community support.

Great job everyone!!! Here is a “not short” update from last night’s meeting of the Austin Parks Board.

We had a packed room at the meeting, with at least 40-50 golfers taking up most of the seats and spilling out into the hallway.

Before the meeting started, we submitted to all the Board Members copies of our petition in support of this new course with 469 signatures. Plus we gave them Letters of Support from Disc Nation, Houck Design, Play It Again Sports, South Austin Disc Assoc, Wanna Play Disc Golf, Circular Productions, Barnes Contracting, Hydrocatch Systems, and Phillip Walker.

The meeting itself didn’t go quite as we expected but the result was good.

First, we had to wait a long time for our item to come up (just the bad luck of being placed behind another couple of ‘hot topics’), but everyone was really patient – including the kids

Then as Gene Faulk, PARD’s project manager began making the presentation, one of the Board members asked him to skip the repetitive stuff that they’d seen several times before and just ‘cut to the chase’. (In the Board Member’s defense, a good chunk of the presentation WAS actually stuff that had been presented the last time or two that disc golf at Guerrero came up – things like the sport’s demographics, benefits, and appeals, plus local disc golf clubs that the city can/are working with.) So what was left focused on just the new stuff like all the cleanup of the area that was going to happen, where in the park the new course would be located, parking, the flow of the course, and the timeline.

The Board members asked just a few questions, seemed satisfied with the answers, and no one raised any objections. And PARD Director Sarah Hensley also added “more than a few” good words about the necessity of the proposed course and the desirability of it as well.

Next, instead of our four expected speakers getting up to talk about the broad support and need for the project, we were limited to just three of us, and for only 1 minute each. This isn’t as bad as it sounds though. There was some mis-communication and it turned out that there wasn’t supposed to be ANY speaking for or against items like ours that were on the agenda. So the fact that they did let us make some comments was a good gesture on their part.

Lou Moreno, who lives in that neighborhood, talked about the need for good, affordable recreational activities in the area.

Malcolm Yeatts, who is a leader with SEATAG (a group that works on putting in trails in SE Austin and has done some trails right in the area) spoke of their desire for disc golf there to provide a good “presence” of park users, which adds security and makes everyone safer. He also mentioned the huge number of students in the area who would be able to bike to the course instead of driving.

Gordon followed that with just a little info about the Waterloo Club (and South Austin Disc Assoc. and Lone Star Deaf DGA) and our past partnerships with PARD and Austin Parks Foundation, and how we stood ready to help create the new course as well as maintain it once it was done.

A lot of applause and some waiving of discs followed the presentation and each speaker. We had an Excellent show of support for the project!!!

And when our topic was done, that meeting room became a lot less crowded

What we learned about the proposed course:

Cleanup of a lot of old construction debris and other trash starts TODAY. They will also be working on removing a lot of dead trees and invasive species. They have already removed and cleaned up some homeless camps from the area.

Parking will be at Krieg Fields.

There will be only 1 creek crossing.

There will be some ADA accessible parts to the final product.

There will be some buffer area between the course and the nearby apartment buildings.

Finally, PARD’s goal is to have the course finished and open to the public by January 1, 2012. (and we know that for the city, this is FAST!)

There is always the chance that we may face some more opposition to this project as it moves forward, and we may have to fight another battle or two, but for now things are looking great, thanks to the work PARD has done so far and the fantastic support from the disc golf community plus others in the neighborhoods around the park.

Can you give some sweat for a new disc golf course?
Please lend a couple hours to support SEATAG (Southeast Austin Trails & Greenbelt) at Roy G Disc Golf Course Work Day

Saturday, November 5th
8:00 am – 12:00 pm
~ Meet at parking lot of Krieg Softball Fields off of Pleasant Valley Rd~
We will be spreading mulch, picking up trash and doing some minor pruning.

All extra hands & help are appreciated. Some supplies will be available, but please bring your work-gloves. Loppers and rakes may be helpful also.
You don't have to be a club member to volunteer. For more info about this work day, please call Josh Rippie at 653-9338.
THANK YOU!!!!!

Waterloo Fans, Friends, and Disc Golfers everywhere we are calling for your last minute support on the day of the Roy G. Grand Opening. We need your help in making this event the most memorable one which shows the community how great Disc Golf is to the city.

Can you come early or come in the afternoon or even stay through the day to help out? Our gratitude would be if you could. We have all worked hard and we just need this final push at the event to ensure we make it “Grand.”

On Saturday, June 9, 2012, we need volunteers:
WHAT
********* Player help: spotters, walkers, and supporters of the new players to show them the game
********* Last minute site maintenance: light trash pickup, mulching, etc.
********* Support: water runs/checks, Card control, Sales, registration, memberships, etc.
********* Other:* tear down, tasks of the day, and pack up of equipment

Can you bring extra water jugs (igloos) for the course or practice baskets for games and challenges? This would help us greatly as we support the many people that will be at the event.

If you can volunteer for an hour or more, we would appreciate it and thank you consistently, this day is going to be a wonderful day showing the entire Austin area what we Disc Golfers are all about. It’s a great way to say that you were there when it happened.

WHERE
Volunteers meet at 517 S. Pleasant Valley Drive (Krieg Field Softball Complex) in the back parking area near the sand volley ball courts. Simply follow the road, in the complex, past the fire tower and past the buildings. You will find plenty of parking available that is not closed off for the event.

WHEN
We need folks there starting at 8 am at the Waterloo Booth in the very last parking area towards Hole #1. Sign into the volunteer sheet and you will be directed to what we need filled.* If you can help out* later in the day (either because that is when you are arriving or because that is when you are done playing your round), just check in at the Waterloo Booth.

Once again, thank you for all that you do (and have done) to help us make this park a great success, now let’s finish it strong and show Austin the great show we can put on!

(All volunteers who play the club mini on Sunday, June 10th, will receive a discount on their mini entry fee – more info on the mini coming soon)

The Waterloo Club is having a big membership drive this weekend at Guerrero. If you are not yet a member we hope you will join; if you are a member we hope you will renew your membership.

For new members we have discounted the sign-up amounts, plus we will have all the membership merchandise with us so you can get your disc and your $10 Disc Nation certificate right there on the spot (and your special member shirt if joining at the “Supporting” level).

For renewing members, we will have your $10 Disc Nation certificate to give you. If you are already current for 2012 (maybe you renewed earlier this year, or took advantage of the multi-year discount a few years ago, or maybe you are one of our Lifetime Members?) don’t forget to come by the Waterloo booth and pick up your $10 Disc Nation certificate.

If you can’t make it down on Saturday, we will have the same deal available on Sunday at the mini.

ROY G. GUERRERO MEMBERSHIP DRIVE

JOIN THE CLUB AT GREATLY DISCOUNTED RATES

Player Member TODAY $10 (Normally $20)

Supporting Member TODAY $25 (Normally $40)

All new members get a member disc - with their number on it - plus
a $10 Disc Nation gift certificate. Supporting Members also get a special club t-shirt.
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The Roy G. Guerrero Disc Golf Course Grand Opening Weekend was a BIG success! Thank you to everyone who made it possible.

Around 300 people attended on Saturday, with well over 200 people playing the course that first day. There were booths and vendors, including Disc Nation, Team Justice, WTF, EDGE, and of course Waterloooooo. The freestylers were out doing demonstrations and the Ultimate club was there too, plus live music all morning and into the afternoon. There was a nice opening ceremony which included speeches by Austin Parks Board Member Linda Guerrero, Austin Parks Dept’s Cheryl Bolin, Disc Nation’s Damon Neth, and Austin disc golf legend and founder of Circular Productions: John Houck; all culminating in the official “First Putt” and then the course opened for play.

100 players came down to take part in the first Roy G. Guerrero mini on Sunday, helped greatly by the other clubs and groups that usually have Sunday morning minis coming to Guerrero instead, and there were lots of casual players there too. The results are on the club’s facebook page and in the club website’s and pdga’s message boards.

The membership drive went very well too, with 24 new club members (we are now very close to #400).

Here are links to media stories, blogs, videos, and some of the online photo albums.

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